The Story of Amara Gregoria Dunmore
by Ariatina McAlpin
Summary: This is the story of Amara Gregoria Dunmore, or Mara as she prefers to be called. This is her story, her life at Brandeis Academy and College for Wizards. Familiar Chars from the books do show up. There's approx 8yrs diff between Mara & HP.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: HP fanfic due to magical references and peoples. HP chars appear on occasion. I do not own anything you recognize, they are JKR's._

THE STORY OF AMARA GREGORIA DUNMORE

Prologue or, How They Came To Be

The Dunmore Family lived in the outskirts of the New England town of Williamstown. They were a respected and well-to-do upper-middle class family. The head of the family, Grant Rainier Dunmore, grew up in that same town with his parents. As the only son he inherited his family estate when his parents- Pythia Fiona Darcy and Henry Marc Dunmore- decided to move near the sea. Mr. Grant Dunmore was a businessman who traveled much, but preferred to work in his office in town. The Dunmore's business provided many jobs for the locals, and for that they were respected. Mr. Dunmore's wife, Narella Brigitte Murdock, was only recently granted American citizenship. The couple had met when Mr. Dunmore had gone overseas for university. They have two children, Amara Gregoria and Chrysander Darius, aged 6 and 12. Amara, or to most, Mara, is a first grader at Williams Elementary while her brother, Chrys, attends Brandeis Academy and College, which is located near the wizarding town of Dacia. The townspeople did not question the location of the school or the name; it was merely tradition for the Dunmore children to attend boarding school at the age of 11. Any muggle, who saw the family, saw a normal average family. There was nothing wrong with them, nothing abnormal or "freakish". One would never expect to be a wizarding family, a pureblood one at that. But the family would forever remember the events of one Monday, in early September 1995. Chrys Dunmore had just been sent off to Brandeis a week before the "incident" for his second year of magical training.

"Hello there Mara, exited about your first full day of school?" Mr. Dunmore asked his daughter.

"Uh huh" Mara looked up from her bowl of cereal and grinned at her father, "I'm a big girl now!"

Mr. Dunmore chuckled at his daughter's answer and continued to finish his cup of coffee.

"Grant, could you please bring Mara to school today? I know how much you'd love to meet her new teacher. It's tradition, any ways." Mrs. Dunmore said lovingly as she entered the kitchen. "Oh, please daddy? You always did it for Chrys." Mara begged. With a laugh, Mr. Dunmore consented.

"Thank you dear, I have to get the schedules set for the house-elves. You know how they get when they don't know what to do."

"Of course, that's why I married you. You know how to handle them so well." He jokingly said.

"Well, you too better hurry. We wouldn't want Mara late on her first day."

He looked at his watch and said, " Righty, let's go princess."

With a kiss to his wife, Mr. Dunmore and his daughter left for town, with Mrs. Dunmore waving goodbye and wishing good luck to Mara.

Little did she know, that would be the last time she was to see her husband alive...

Mr. Dunmore held a secret. A very deep secret, one only so few people knew. During his time at the Oxford College for Wizards (one of Oxford University's many colleges), where he met the stunning Narella Murdock, he met other pureblooded wizards. These wizards, they convinced him to join their "group". He became one of them, a follower of the Dark Lord. So young and naïve of the happenings of Europe, he believed he had joined a rightful cause. After five years of loyal servitude, as muggle consultant and formulating ways to make the murders hidden to muggles, he decided he needed to right his wrongs. Narella, who had lost both of her parents to the Dark Lord, helped him go through this change. He went to Dumbledore and soon became another Spy for the Order. But he was with the American section of the Order and Death Eater's. After the Dark Lord's fall, which he had only been a Death Eater for seven years, he was proved innocent in court. Pleading the imperious curse, saying that he could never have hurt muggles since he had grown up so near to them - but this was only part truth.

But, that June, Voldemort had resurrected. They had seen his kindness to muggles at work. He had not answered the Lord's call, for reasons unknown. The Lord became angry, he knew that Dunmore was not loyal. And because of this, he must die. After dropping off Mara at her classroom, and meeting her new teacher, Mrs. Foster, he headed for his office. As he was turning into the parking lot, another vehicle came crashing into the Driver's side of his car. And a Death Eater apparated beside him.

"Hullo Dunmore. Not yet dead I see, we must change that." He grinned evilly and pointed his wand at Dunmore.

"Sectumsempra! Remember, Severus taught us that one at Oxford."

Dunmore looked at his former friend, "Why?" he asked.

With pain and sorrow filling his eyes, and him bleeding profusely, with his last breath he muttered, "Ella-".

The Death Eater disapparated out and saw the muggles come to the rescue.

"He's dead. Stupid muggles, stupid Grant for not listening. I'm sorry, dear friend, but you had to die."

The Funeral of Grant Rainier Dunmore was held the following Saturday. The whole town grieved with the family and Chrys was allowed a week off to grieve with his family.

But tragedy would soon strike the Dunmore Family once again.

Narella had seen her body and recognized the curse Grant was hit with. During the funeral she had talked with her mother in law, Pythia. Unbeknownst to them, a death eater was spying nearby.

"Oh Pythia!" She sobbed, "It had to be one of _them_!"

"Ella...Ella. Calm down dear, it was a car accident. That man should have been drinking so early in the morning."

"You...you didn't see his body. I _know_ that curse... I've seen it before..."

Amara looked at her mother, she was sad her daddy was gone. But it hadn't hit her yet.

The Death Eater disapparated back to his master.

"Yes, Wormtail? What news about Dunmore's family?"

"My... My Lord." He bowed down, "Ella. His wife, sir-"

"Yes? What about Narella?"

"She...she sus- suspects us, My Lord."

"Something must be done then."

Two weeks later the doorbell rang in the Dunmore household.

Amara peeked down from the staircase and saw her mother greet a strange man.

"Hullo, Narella. How are you doing?" the stranger asked with a tone of amusement in his voice.

"Lucius!" She exclaimed, anger and surprise evident in her voice.

"I'm glad you remember me."

"How could I forget? You were close to Grant. His best man, too. Known each other since childhood."

The man named Lucius grinned.

"Too true. And you were good friends with Narcissa, I believe?"

"We grew up together, neighbors. Of course, we were close. The best of friends since grammar school. Of course, that friendship is long over."

"Oh...what a pity."

"What do you want Malfoy?" she asked coldly.

"Nothing...nothing, but answers."

"Well, I'm sorry. I don't believe I can help you there."

"Oh, you can. I'm quite positive."

She glared at him as he continued, "Do you know what truly happened to your husband?"

"He died in a car crash."

"True...too true. You know why?"

"What's your point?"

"DO YOU KNOW WHY HE DIED?"

"The other man had been drinking too much. That's all, end of story."

Malfoy stopped his pacing and glared at her. "NO!...it was because he was unfaithful to the Dark Lord!"

"Really?" she replied sarcastically

"Why was he unfaithful?"

"I do not know."

"LIAR!...you know."

"I do not."

"CRUCIO! YOU WILL ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

Narella fell in pain, "NO!"

He kicked her and asked once more, "Why was he not loyal?"

She remained mum.

Amara saw this. She was frozen in shock, tears streaming down her face. But she was too afraid to move, to even speak, make a sound for she feared the stranger.

For a whole hour Narella was hit with many curses, once she had fainted, he still remained the Cruciatus for another five minutes. Then he left.

"MUMMY!" Amara cried as she ran down the stairs.

"Mummy? Mummy?" she tried to wake her mother...tears streaming down her face.

This was how her grandmother found them when she came for her daily visit.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: The War Has Begun

The war had been going on for 8 years now. Many lives have been lost and the war reached the American continent two years previously. Both the Muggle and Magical community are in chaos. Political leaders are gaining blame, especially the American president for his lack of action towards these "terrorists". Voldemort has gained an ally, the muggle terrorist groups from the Middle East. Even these "natural disasters" which have been occurring are not from Mother Nature. Sadness and sorrow can be seen in the eyes of the people, the third world war had begun.

Amara Dunmore woke up in her dormitory with a start. She dreamed of Lucius Malfoy's visit again. All those psychiatric help her grandmother had made her go through did not help. True, she appeared better now than before. But it still haunts her. Dreams about the war had been haunting her for a year now, she dreams about things she's never seen. Mara had even gone to her school library for books on dream interpretations. But none helped her at all. She looked at the clock, it read 5:30am. 'Oh well', she thought,' might as well get ready for classes.'

She got up and took a shower. After changing to her uniform, a black pleated skirt- with red, green, blue, yellow, and gray lines- a white long-sleeved oxford shirt, a dark forest green sweater, black tights, and Mary Jane's. She began to comb and give herself a side braid. Looking at the mirror, she saw her reflection. A fourteen-year-old teen with shoulder-length wavy auburn-bronze hair and large amber almond shaped eyes. She smiled at her reflection, 'I'm beginning to look like mum when she was younger, but without her round blue eyes.'

"Mornin' Mara." Her best friend, Marielle Sydney Riva, greeted her.

"Morning Ellie." She replied

Marielle had dark brown almost black hair that reached the middle of her back, which had trouble deciding whether to be wavy or straight. She had these gray almond eyes that made you feel that she could see right through you. Her mother was of Asian descent, so she had this exotic look to her. Marielle is one of the few muggle-born witches at Brandeis and knew Mara when they went to school together at Williams, though they weren't very close then. Mara had stayed at Williams until thanksgiving break the year her father died, and then she was homes-schooled for the rest of the year.

She moved in with her grandparents since her mother was no longer capable of taking care of her. Then, starting from second grade, she attended a local parochial school in her grandparents' town.

Narella Dunmore was in a coma for two months after her attack. Amara was also in shock and couldn't talk during the time of her mother's coma. Once her mother woke up, she wouldn't tell anyone what happened and continued to be in a dazed state. Her mind couldn't work properly; it was like she had had a stroke. She remained weak and sad. The only times when she would be happy is when she was with her children and when she received letter from them.

Once the two were dressed they headed down to the Dining Hall.

"So… noticed you were awake pretty early today. Excited about exams?" Marielle asked her.

"Exams?"

"O my gosh! Did you forget? We have midterms starting this week!"

Mara just stared at her best friend…"You're joking…right, Ellie?"

"Nope… Transfiguration first with Professor Minda and then Charms with Professor Nova in the afternoon."

"Shit. I gotta study."

"You were in the library practically everyday last week! What were you doing?"

Mara looked at her friend.

"Oh… dreams again?"

"Yeah, I still can't figure them out."

"Maybe you should talk to Professor Darcy-Giles."

"Divination professor? What? You think they're prophetic dreams?"

"Maybe… your grandmother is known for her abilities...maybe you inherited them."

Mara scoffed at her friend, "Please."

After a quick breakfast, the duo headed for the library to do a bit of studying before their first exam at 9 o'clock.

They got their texts and sat at the far end of the library, where there were two large couches, one navy blue and the other forest green, by the fireplace. It was beautiful library really. Above and around the fireplace were pictures of each graduating class since the school's opening in 1670, they all had gold frames. Behind the couches, study tables lined up and around them were the bookshelves. From where they sat, they couldn't look up to the second floor. But there was another floor that looked down at the study area, a large golden chandelier hung there and gave light to both floors.

Misses' Kristin Vane and Felicity McGregor were the resident librarians. Miss McGregor was the older of the two and had been here for over 40 years. She kept her gray hair in a bob and wore black glasses. Her blue eyes always sparkled and showed her kindness. Miss Vane was a widow and had been here for only 10 or so years. Her brown hair was always up in a high bun, which was ever changing in style. She was a bit more stern, but very helpful to those in need.

The day passed on quickly and soon they had donned on their navy blue outer-robes, black cotton gloves, and striped scarves and were relaxing in the school courtyard.

"What do we have tomorrow, Ellie?"

"Dell, Defense in the morning, History in the afternoon starting at 2. Then Arithmancy for you at 6."

"Ugh… Arithmancy tomorrow?"

"Why you complaining? You signed up for it."

"I know…I know. But Professor Granger decided we needed to know some muggle algebra as well. So know our exams are even more complicated than what Professor Smith had taught us last year."

"Yeah…" Ellie said sadly.

Professor Michael Smith had been Brandeis' Arithmancy professor for 50 years. But he had died while on vacation in Ireland over the summer. Hermione Granger had taken up his place and she was a bit stricter and expected only the best. She had immigrated to the US with her fiancé, Ron Weasley, to work for the American side of the Order. But they also needed other jobs and she couldn't pass up this opportunity.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_** _Sorry I haven't updated in a very long time. I had forgotten about my stories and recently, whilst cleaning my messy room, I found my "Story Binder". I reread my stories and decided that this one was one I must continue, if not for my sake but for the readers. I'm dreadfully sorry for the lack of update and hope that you find it in your hearts to forgive me and read my story- oh, and please review since I do love your criticisms. With love, Ariatina. ()_

**Chapter 2**

A Day In The Life

That winter had passed on by uneventfully. Exams and Christmas had been as they usually were (with the exception of Professor Granger's, of course). Christmas at the Dunmore household consisted with the family tradition of midnight mass then opening of the gifts. Chrysander, who was now studying Business Management at Harvard College, had brought his girlfriend, Anita Desdemona Boyd, home to meet the family. Anita is an Australian student who met Chrys at the school library last spring and, coincidentally, they had a class together that fall semester. Now, Amara and Marielle just hanged out during the holidays with trips to the mall, theater, and even did some of their holiday assignments together at the library.

Everything was going just fine, everything was just ordinary.

Except for Amara's dreams.

_Standing in a hallway, Amara felt chills. She looked around, but didn't recognize her surroundings._

"_He…hello?" she asked to no one in particular. _

"_Hello? Anybody there?" her voice echoed in the stone hallway._

_Quietly, she walked around until she found herself in what appeared to be a dining hall. Looking up, she saw the night sky filled with owls._

"_That's odd. There doesn't seem to be a ceiling." She murmured to herself._

"_It just enchanted to appear like the night sky." A voice answered behind her._

_Amara, surprised at hearing the voice, turned around to see an elderly man with a long white beard, glasses, and royal blue robes that had gold lining._

_She looked at him quizzically as if to ask, 'Who are you?' _

_He seemed to understand and introduced himself. Yet, his name she couldn't remember if her life depended on it._

_  
"Miss Dunmore."_

"_Yes… Sir?"_

"_You're the last person I expected to visit me here at the school. My, you've grown up so, last time I saw you were just a babe." He paused and took a good look at _

_Amara." You look so much like your mother."_

"_I've been told."_

"_Yes. Well, I didn't expect you. Pythia, perhaps. But not you."_

Amara awoke from her dream feeling confused. 'Who was that man? Why was he expecting Grandmother? Why was she there instead of Grandma?'

Questions and confusion ran through her head, yet she wouldn't be able to ask anyone for she had no idea who that man was or where she was.

"Mara? You Ok?" Marielle asked from her bed.

"Yeah...I'm fine Ellie".

"Sure? You seem to, you know… Dreams of that day again?"

"No…I'm fine, it wasn't about his visit. Haven't had that in a while." Amara smiled at her concerned friend.

"Ok. Well, I'm going to get ready. We have Creature Care first today and I need to be awake for that."

"K… I'll be up soon." Amara replied.

Creature Care, Potions, Charms…finally, Lunch!

Amara was starved by the time the bell rang signaling their Lunch break. Walking in the dining hall she found her best friend, Marielle, sitting by Alexander Matthews.

"Guess what Mara?"

"Ooh…what?"

"Well, next Saturday is the game against Molina. Isn't this exciting?" Marielle squeaked.

La Escuela De Molina Para La Magia (Molina School for Magic) is the wizarding school in Florida. Named after its founders, Isabella Ruiz Ramos de Molina and Javier Molina Pizzaro, during the Spanish colonization; Molina has not lost a quidditch game to any of the other American schools yet. Now there was going to be game, Molina v. Brandeis. The reigning champion was coming to Brandeis. This was going to be interesting.

The group continued to talk during their break. Amara smiled inwardly, seeing her two friends continuously flirting was entertaining. The fact that both were clueless to the others feelings was just amusing.

Amara got up, said her goodbyes and headed to the library where she had to finish up her Arithmancy homework.

"Hello Misses Vane, McGregor" Amara greeted the librarians as she entered the library.

"Hello dear" Miss McGregor replied with a smile. Miss Vane acknowledged her with a nod.

Amara took her books and sat at one of the study tables and worked on her problems in the half hour she had left before break was to end.


End file.
